Science X Newsletter

Study resolves puzzles in gravitational collapse of gravitational waves

The ‘Cosmic Vine’: Astronomers discover a large structure that hosts at least 20 massive galaxies

Rapid purification and characterization of circulating small extracellular vesicles on a label-free lab-on-a-chip

Study unveils similarities between the auditory pathway and deep learning models for processing speech

New technique could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films and other futuristic materials

DeepMind tool makes 10-day weather forecast in 60 seconds

NASA data reveal possible reason some exoplanets are shrinking

‘Bouncing’ comets could deliver building blocks for life to exoplanets

Increased threat of conflict enhances mongoose pup survival: Study challenges long-held belief on reproductive success

New deep learning AI tool helps ecologists monitor rare birds through their songs

Climate engineering could slow Antarctic ice loss, study says

Silky ants turn to aphids for medicine when sick

Two new species of racerunner lizard discovered in Iran

New process for screening old urine samples reveals previously undetected ‘designer drugs’

Roaming seabirds need ocean-wide protection, research shows

Climate engineering could slow Antarctic ice loss, study says

Scattering sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere could slow rapid melting in West Antarctica and reduce the risk of catastrophic sea-level rise, according to a study led by Indiana University researchers.

A not so silver lining: Microplastics found in clouds could affect the weather

From the depths of the seas to snow on mountains and even the air above cities, microplastics are turning up increasingly often. Now, in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers have analyzed microplastics in clouds above mountains. They suggest that these tiny particles could play a role in cloud formation and, in turn, affect weather.

Natural coasts protect against tropical cyclones, but this protection is declining: Study

People living on the in low-lying coastal areas will be at even greater risk from cyclones in the future. Natural ecosystems offer protection, but this protection has decreased in recent years and is expected to continue to decline. This is a finding of a model study by an international team of researchers led by ETH Zurich.

What corporations aren’t disclosing about their carbon dioxide emissions

A new study estimates most corporations are not reporting the full scope of their carbon footprint with many claiming to be “green” despite a lack of reporting on Scope 3 key categories. The paper is published in the journal PLOS Climate.

Ice cores from Earth’s highest tropical peak provide insight into climate variability

In the first study to examine ice cores from the summit of the highest tropical mountain in the world, new evidence provides unique insight into the climate record of the Amazon Basin over the last six decades.

Heat projected to kill nearly five times more people by 2050

Nearly five times more people will likely die due to extreme heat in the coming decades, an international team of experts said Wednesday, warning that without action on climate change the “health of humanity is at grave risk”.

Georgia, Southeast among the most at-risk from climate change, report finds

In the high-stakes fight against climate change, the United States—and the planet—are at a moment that is both hopeful and harrowing.

Greenhouse gases hit record high in 2022: UN

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere hit new record highs in 2022, with no end in sight to the rising trend, the United Nations warned Wednesday.

EU recycling drive raises stink around camembert packaging

Could the distinctive thin wood packaging around France’s famed camembert cheese be under threat from the EU’s recycling drive?

EU negotiators reach deal on methane emission curbs

Negotiators for the EU’s member states and lawmakers on Wednesday reached a deal on new rules to curb methane emissions which would put new reporting requirements on the coal, gas and oil industry.

Sand and dust storm frequency increasing in many world regions, UN warns

Sand and dust storms are an under-appreciated problem now “dramatically” more frequent in some places worldwide, with at least 25% of the phenomenon attributed to human activities, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

How PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are getting into Miami’s Biscayne Bay, where dolphins, fish, manatees dine

PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have been raising health concerns across the country, are not just a problem in drinking water. As these chemicals leach out of failing septic systems and landfills and wash off airport runways and farm fields, they can end up in streams that ultimately discharge into ocean ecosystems where fish, dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine species live.

Researchers: Effective climate action requires us to abandon viewing our efforts as a ‘sacrifice’

If you’re like most people, you’ve been taught that climate action is a sacrifice. Cutting emissions from fossil fuels, you’ve probably been told, is the economy-squeezing price we must pay for a livable planet. But our research explains why we should look at this issue through a different frame.

Iceland on high alert for volcanic eruption—what we know so far

The Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland trembled with an intense swarm of earthquakes on the afternoon of Friday November 10. Hundreds of quakes were detected on the regional networks of seismometers and several were strong enough to be felt in Reykjavik, 50 kilometers away.

Study reveals how salinity affects El Niño diversity

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the strongest year-to-year climate variability in the planet, famous for prominent surface warming in the equatorial eastern Pacific known as an El Niño event.

Study highlights 4 strategies to overcome barriers to prescribed fire in the west

Prescribed fire, which mimics natural fire regimes, can help improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire. But this management tool is underused in the fire-prone U.S. West and Baja California, Mexico, due to several barriers.

Decarbonizing Australia’s transport system could solve significant public health challenge

The road transport system is responsible for almost 20% of Australia’s fossil fuel emissions. Transport emissions have increased nearly 60% since 1990 and Australia’s per capita road transport emissions are 45% higher than the OECD average.

All aquatic species in river mouths are contaminated by microplastics, says new report

All aquatic species in the river mouths flowing into the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean are contaminated with microplastics, with mollusks being the most affected due to their ability to filter water. Rivers are one of the main sources of pollution by microplastics (5 to 0.0001 mm in size) and nanoplastics (smaller than 0.0001mm) in the oceans.

West Africa’s plastic waste could be fueling the economy instead of polluting the ocean

Plastic pollution is an urgent environmental issue, globally. Every year, about eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans.

Climate change effects hit marine ecosystems in multiple waves, according to marine ecologists

A new approach to examining the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems may provide a more accurate understanding of climate change responses—and predictions for future consequences—according to a new paper co-authored by a Brown University biologist.

Climate actions centered on Indigenous knowledge can improve resilience

Climate change in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands worsens inequities and threatens unique island ecosystems, cultural resources, human health, livelihoods, the built environment, and access to clean water and healthy food.

Who should collect, manage and have access to data from the oceans?

Research institutions from Norway and other countries have collected a great amount of data from the northern oceans in recent years. Many people want access to this information.

How global science programs can navigate the complex, shifting challenges in sustainability science

The global change program Future Earth is an international alliance of organizations and agencies that was launched by the UN in June 2012. The Future Earth 2025 Vision identified eight global challenges for scientific research to accelerate progress in sustainability, improve collaboration, and mobilize resources.

From glaciers to rainfall: Understanding unexpected rain

In 2018, a group of students from the Universities of Innsbruck, Austria, and Hamburg, Germany, were on a research excursion close to the village of Llupa in the Rio Santa valley in the Peruvian Andes. While they were busy installing a weather station in preparation for their research project, they were surprised by unexpected rainfall—a brief yet notable shower.

Three thousand years’ worth of carbon monoxide records show positive impact of global intervention in the 1980s

An international team of scientists has reconstructed a historic record of the atmospheric trace gas carbon monoxide by measuring air in polar ice and air collected at an Antarctic research station.

Thousands of homes underwater after floods hit Vietnam

The ancient Vietnamese city of Hue, a world heritage site popular with tourists, was underwater Wednesday after heavy rain flooded thousands of homes and blocked highways.

Benin struggles in battle to halt coastal erosion

Along its Atlantic coast, Benin’s government has spent millions of dollars to protect coastal communities from sea erosion. But Doris Alapini can only watch as waves tirelessly eat away at her land and the large seaside restaurant she built.

‘Out of control’ fires endanger wildlife in Brazilian wetlands

The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil are famed as a paradise of biodiversity, but these days they have enormous clouds of smoke billowing over them, as raging wildfires reduce vast expanses to scorched earth.

Climate change impacts are increasing for Americans

A new national report finds that the impacts of weather extremes—exacerbated by climate change—are far-reaching across every region of the United States. However, the report also finds that rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating adaptation can limit further warming and protect lives and property from many climate risks. In coordination with the release of the report, President Biden announced more than $6 billion through his Investing in America agenda to make communities across the country more resilient to climate change.

PepsiCo sued by New York state over plastic pollution

New York state sued PepsiCo on Wednesday, pointing to the soda giant’s plastic waste as a scourge of waterways and blasting the company’s “misleading” statements on the environment.

It’s not yet summer in Brazil, but a dangerous heat wave is sweeping the country

It’s still spring in Brazil, but a dangerous heat wave is sweeping across large swathes of the country, forcing Rio de Janeiro’s vendors off the streets due to health alerts and driving up energy demand amid reports of power outages.